Superman Termination Manual

The times had changed.

Nowadays, everyone valued the spectacle and entertainment value of superheroes, as well as their ability to generate buzz, more than their actual strength.

And without a doubt, mikaxi saw this topic-generating potential in blue owl.

And it didn't stop there.

Tonight, while she uncovered blue owl, she also encountered the villain she had been following for two weeks—the Dice Monster—as if it were some kind of gift from fate.

mikaxi took deep breaths over and over, her heart beating as if ten thousand little men were tap-dancing inside.

She was clear, this could be her once-in-a-lifetime chance for overnight fame.

She must not show cowardice here, even though it was dangerous, she had to stand at the center of the crossroads.

One step back, and she would miss millions of exposures!

At that moment, the words of the Dice Monster broke through the noisy world and entered mikaxi's ears.

"Hey... why are you ignoring me, 'blue owl' buddy?"

It tilted its head, pausing between each word as it addressed blue owl.

Blue owl looked up, gazing at the grey, humanoid figure sitting on a fashion billboard, meeting its gaze.

"Uh, brother, has anyone ever told you..."

He spoke earnestly yet hesitantly.

The voice of blue owl, filtered through the voice changer of his suit, sounded like that of a young man a few years older than himself, with a hint of depth and hoarseness.

"Told me... what?"

The strange thing raised its non-existent eyebrows, its mouth curving slightly, anticipating the other's assessment of it.

Like a child in class waiting for the teacher's comments.

Blue owl hesitated for a moment, maintaining his tentative and reticent tone, and slowly said, "Just saying... just saying, you're really ugly, hasn't anyone told you that?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd gathered at the crossroads burst into loud laughter, and for a moment, the sound of cameras clicking drowned out the din of voices.

Seeing this, the strange thing first made a "mouth agape, jaw-dropping" expression, then fell silent for a few seconds, its face sinking, with the corners of its mouth turned down.

Finally, it sighed, shook its head, and said.

"Hey, dude, although I too think I'm not exactly good-looking, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you, as a superhero, to personally attack me in public?"

Blue owl was unimpressed, and as he walked toward him, he said, "To be precise, I haven't become a superhero yet, so I don't need to regulate my speech and conduct."

"Oh, then it's even less of a problem for us to be friends, isn't it?" the strange thing said, "Since you're not yet a superhero, you really don't need to take such a hard stance."

blue owl sighed, tilting his head slightly, which caused the beak on his mask to wobble, "What a joke, I'm not going to be friends with a wanted criminal, unless you turn yourself in at the Superhero Association."

"That's a shame; you're really too rigid," the strange thing spoke, suddenly raising a finger, its tone becoming more mysterious, "I suggest not getting closer to me, I'm about to use my special move."

"Throwing dice?"

blue owl didn't stop walking, his words dripping with disdain.

"I've seen that trick of yours online, last time you rolled a bunch of Brazilians dancing under the Huanjing Tower, that video did crack me up, I watched it several times."

"That was an accident, an accident, you get it?" the Dice Monster seemed flustered, spreading its hands in exasperation, "Besides, the big move I'm talking about isn't throwing dice, where's the fun in that to match your rhythm?"

"Rhythm?" blue owl looked at it, amused, "What are you trying to say?"

"It's like this," the strange thing paused, raising its tone, "Has anyone ever told you that your battle suit looks a lot like that damn Qing Ya, you know, the rat across the street that everyone wants to beat up?"

Upon hearing this, Blue Owl's teasing gaze suddenly became serious, and he just silently stared at it.

Observing this, the strange thing's tone became even more teasing, as if excited by having hit the other's sore spot.

"Do you know... what kind of status that stinky crow holds in China? Imitating him, you still want to become a beloved superhero? You must be dreaming," it mocked.

Blue Owl stayed silent for a moment, then spoke in a lowered voice, almost articulating every single word.

"Then let me be clear…" he paused, bowing his head, continuing in front of the gaze of thousands, "You all, simply don't understand Qing Ya."

With those radical words, the pedestrians within a hundred meters fell silent for a moment, as if someone had pressed the mute button.

The world went eerily quiet as if a machine had stopped functioning, beneath the neon lights were faces shocked beyond measure.

But the gaze of social media content creator mikaxi grew increasingly fervent; she even started to lose her grip on her phone, her hands shaking with excitement.

In her mind, she screamed, "Yes, that's it! This is the effect I want! Keep talking, the traffic will explode and rank it first across all platforms domestically and abroad!"

Upon these words, the strange thing first fell silent for a second, then covered its face with its hand and sighed deeply, as if to say, "Teaching you is impossible."

However, Blue Owl continued to deliver comments that clashed with political correctness, causing the spectating crowd to instinctively gasp.

"He is a true hero, and it was by admiring his image that I chose to wear this battle suit," he said calmly, slowly lifting his eyes, his gaze behind the lenses as steadfast as a statue's.

"Furthermore, from the moment I put on this suit, I decided… I would never care about anyone's scrutiny but only do what I believe is right," he continued.

At these words, the strange thing could no longer hold back.

"Oh my god, are you trying to be cringeworthy?"

As it spoke, the strange thing leaned against a billboard, pretending to gag, then wiped its mouth with a hand.

"That's your reason for a cheap imitation... even a teenager going through puberty could make that battle suit you're wearing. It's so idiotic that it makes me want to vomit, claiming you know Qing Ya the best," it sneered.

It paused, then scoffed, "You know too much indeed. Are you saying… that you understand him better than the criminals who've received the death penalty from him, or the children left with psychological trauma because of him, all of them knowing Qing Ya less than you, a greenhorn?"

"I told you, I don't care what others think," Blue Owl retorted coldly.

"Boring... boring, so boring," the strange thing said.

Lowering its hollow eyes, the strange thing pointed at a nearby tall building, pressing down with its right hand, and shot webs from its web shooter that stuck to the glass curtain wall, "I'm not playing with you anymore, goodbye Qing Ya kid."

Seeing this, Blue Owl suddenly started to run, intending to chase after the strange thing, but he had injured his leg in the fight with Lester.

His muscle violently pulled, and he deeply gasped, reluctantly kneeling and clutching his leg.

"Are you okay, Mr. Blue Owl?!" mikaxi, finally reacting, rushed over. While filming his face, she said, "I'll call a cab for you!"

"No need."

With that, Blue Owl stood up again, limping away into the commercial street under the gaze of the people.

Every step he took, the surrounding crowd stepped back.

Subsequently, Blue Owl, under everyone's watchful eyes, slowly turned into a deserted alley.

A few seconds later, people belatedly chased after him, but the red and blue figure had vanished, as if evaporated from the face of the earth.